PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles’ top two elected officials made their case for continued leadership, highlighting the agency’s financial stability, job creation efforts and infrastructure investment during a forum hosted by the Port Angeles Business Association.
Commissioners Steve Burke and Colleen McAleer, separately seeking re-election, told attendees that their shared vision — to create high-wage jobs, grow the port’s industrial base and strengthen community partnerships — has transformed the organization into a vital and business-minded public agency.
Burke is seeking his third four-year term as the port’s District 2 representative. His opponent, Allen Sawyer, did not participate in Tuesday’s event.
Burke said that, during his time as commissioner, the port’s financial position has strengthened significantly, with revenue up 32 percent over the past decade. That increase has allowed the port to fund its operations through lease income from its properties rather than tax dollars, he said.
“Out of all government entities, we operate most like a business,” said Burke, the executive director of Shore Aquatic Center. “Our operational costs are paid for by the revenue we generate. The only time tax proceeds are used is for capital projects or debt service.”
That business model, Burke said, has freed the port to focus on projects that create jobs and raise local incomes — something he called crucial to addressing Clallam County’s worsening affordability gap.
“We can’t control housing prices, but we can influence wages by attracting better-paying jobs,” Burke said. “That’s where the port can make the biggest difference.”
McAleer, who is seeking a fourth four-year term as District 1 commissioner, is running unopposed after her challenger, Nate Adkisson, dropped out of the race.
McAleer reflected on how far the port has come since she first joined as an employee in 2011.
“When I started, it was a toxic work environment,” she said. “It was focused inward, not on the community. That’s completely changed. The team we have today is exceptional — smart, hardworking and motivated to make a difference.”
She said the port’s transformation has been both cultural and strategic. McAleer, who also serves as executive director of the Clallam County Economic Development Council, said the port’s new philosophy emphasizes collaboration and customer service.
“Before, if a business came in with an idea that didn’t fit the port’s exact vision, staff might have said ‘no,’” she said. “Now the mindset is: how do we get to yes?”
That shift, she said, made the port a stronger partner to both private industry and local governments. Staff now help businesses navigate the region’s complex permitting landscape, and in some cases, they take the lead.
Burke said his top goals if re-elected include restoring scheduled commercial air service to and from Port Angeles. The port has been pursuing that goal for years, but recent changes in federal law may give the region a new opening, he said.
“We’ve now qualified for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program,” Burke said. “That would provide a permanent subsidy for commercial flights — not just a short-term boost, but long-term, sustained service. I think this time we can get over the finish line.”
Both candidates pointed to more than $50.8 million in state and federal infrastructure grants the port is currently managing — with 86 percent of the funding coming from grants — to improve port facilities, invest in new hangar space at William R. Fairchild International Airport and modernize equipment.
Both commissioners said their overarching mission is to raise local wages and restore economic balance to Clallam County, where the loss of timber and maritime jobs has left the median household income at about 60 percent of the state average, down from 85 percent three decades ago.
“The decline of those industries left a hole that’s been filled by lower-wage service jobs,” McAleer said. “We’ve seen an influx of retirees and remote workers, but the local economy doesn’t benefit the same way. Retail, hospitality and personal services just don’t pay enough to support a family or buy a home.”
The port’s strategy, she said, is to attract and support industries that provide living-wage jobs, such as maritime trades, clean technology and advanced manufacturing, like the Composite Recycling Technology Center, a tenant at the airport business park.
The port also established a foreign trade zone, allowing companies to import raw materials, add value locally and pay tariffs only on finished products.
McAleer said the program could give local manufacturers a competitive advantage in global markets.
Both commissioners said they want to see the port complete the projects it has started — and ensure the momentum continues.
“The surest way not to get elected is to say you’re going to keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Burke said. “But that’s exactly what I want to do — build on what’s working.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
